The TSPI-module has been first identified as the type I repeat of thrombospondin-1. Members of this extracellular module-family have since been shown to be present in several hundred metazoan proteins as well as in proteins of some protists. Despite the widespread occurrence and biological importance of this module-type, relatively little is known about their three-dimensional structure. To define the structural features of this important module-family, we have expressed the second TSP1-domain of human thrombospondin I in Escherichia coli. Amino acid sequencing of proteolytic fragments of the recombinant protein have shown that its disulfide bonds connect the six conserved cysteines in a 1-5, 2-6, 3-4 pattern. Circular dichroism studies on the recombinant protein indicate that the disulfide-bonded TSPI-module consists primarily of distorted beta-strands. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.